HYACINTH CULTURE AT HAARLEM 135 



the growing flower stem in the centre (the centre of the 

 cross-cuts meeting a little to one side to avoid the central 

 stem). By this means this year's shoot is preserved, and 

 when the bulb bursts asunder (along the lines cut for it, 

 through the strength of the young bulb -shoots pushing 

 their way through) a principal bulb forms itself in the 

 centre, which by the second year is as perfect as any. 



There is no part of a bulb which can be pointed out 

 as exclusively serving for the production of young bulbs. 

 They come sometimes from the centre, sometimes from the 

 stem bursting open the bulb and becoming so like it in 

 form that gardeners have some difficulty in distinguishing 

 the parent bulb from the new. It seems inconceivable that 

 Nature should put such strength into such a delicate pro- 

 duction as the young bulb ; when once it finds space to 

 develop itself there is no part of the old bulb it will not 

 force to let it through. The angular form of the young 

 bulb comes from the kind of resistance it meets and 

 moulded by the space in which it is free to expand. If it 

 grows on the outside of the bulb, it is concave on the side 

 which joins the round side of the bulb, while on its outer 

 side it is round. 



After the first year the young bulb becomes its normal 

 shape, like those which are raised from seed. It is difficult 

 to ascertain if a bulb is going to produce young ones or 

 not, it is easy to be mistaken, though the conic operation 

 will show clearly in a few weeks if young bulbs are going 

 to develop. It seems scarcely possible that those which 

 develop more naturally can force their way through the 

 tunics without aid, and do their work in the space of one 

 year. 



It has been found that when young bulbs have not 

 strength sufficient in their first year to burst the tunics, their 

 -development is much assisted by the bulb being cut. The 



